Saxophone.



No. 638,385. Patented Dec. 5, I899. P. EVETTE.

SAXOPHONE.

(Applicition filed Kay 20, 1897.)

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P. EVETTE.

SAXOPHONE.

(Application filed ILy BO, 1897.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAUL EVETTE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

SAXOPHONE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,385, dated December5, 1899.

Application filed May 20,1897. Serial No. 637,402. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PAUL EVETTE, a citizen of the French Republic,residing at Paris, France, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Saxophones, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention has been patented in France, No. 260,754, dated October26, 1896, and in Belgium, No.124,200, dated October 26, 1896.

My invention relates to improvements in Saxophones, with the object,first, of enabling the player to perform more easily than hitherto thenotes high E and high F; second, of facilitating the transition fromE-fiat key to other keys; third, of enabling the player to perform thelow notes B-flat, B, and C-sharp by means of the medium of the righthand.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, I refer tothe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation ofthe upper part of a saxophone constructed according to my invention.Fig. 2 is an enlarged View of the device for facilitating the transitionfrom the E-flat key to other keys. Fig. 3 shows a sectional view on theline A B of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows the device for enabling the player toperform the low notes B-fiat, B, and O-sharp by means of the medium ofthe right hand. Fig. 5 shows a sectional view on the line C D of Fig. 4.Fig. 6 is a side view of the whole instrument. Fig. 7 is an elevationwith the lower part of the tube in section.

First. In the ordinary saxophone the note high E is obtained by thesimultaneous use of three keys 1 2 3, Fig. 1, which are respectively thekeys of D, Iii-flat, and E. The note high F is obtained by thesimultaneous use of the four keys 1 2 3 4, which are respectively thekeys of D, E-flat, E, and F. Moreover, the plate 7, which serves to playthe note C, must be closed to secure the note high F. There is noapparent reason for this; but it is a result of experience. Theconsequence of this is that there results a great difficulty in playingthese notes in the arpeggios. My new key 5, Fig. 1, avoids all thesedifficulties. This key is pivoted on a bearing 6, and its object is tolift the lever 4: While it lowers at the same time the plate 7. The sameeffect may be produced by opening another hole F near the key 4say 5thelever 5 having then the form shown by the dotted lines, Fig. 1. The saidlever does not operate the lever 4:. It uncovers simply the hole 5 andlowers the plate 7. In this case the result is the same.

Second. At the present time the note E-flat an octave below the E-fiatreferred to above is produced in the saxophone by means of a specialkey, called key of E-fiat. In many cases the transition from this key toothers is difficult, and several arrangements have been tried in orderto avoid this. I believe that I have obviated this inconvenience byproducing the note E-flat through the hole of E by means of a device(shown in Figs. 2 and 3) which is applicable to saxophones of any pitch.This device is constructed as follows: The plate 8, which generally iswhole, is provided with a hole 9; a lever 10 is cast with the plate 11,which covers the hole 9, and, finally, the small plate 12 is cast withthe plate 8 and draws along the small plate 13 in its descent. The plate13 serves to play the note F. It results that when the finger lowers theplate 12 the plate 11, under the action of a spring 14, keeps lifted up,and the note E-flat is produced by the hole 9 in the plate 8.

Third. In the ordinary saxophones the low notes B-fiat, B, and O-sharpare obtained by means of keys played by the small finger of the lefthand or in some systems by the small finger of the right hand. Myarrangement allows the performer to play these notes with the medium ofthe right hand by means of the device shown in Figs. 4 and 5. To playthe low notes B-flat, B, and O-sharp, all the keys must be closed, andit requires ordinarily all fingers of the artist except the thumb of theright hand and the littlefinger of the left one. The thumb being placedbehind the instrument is unable to be used. It serves merely to maintainthis latter. There remains only the little finger of the left hand,which should actuate the lever 15 for playing the low note B-fiat, thelever 16 for playing the low note O-sharp, and the lever 17 for the lownote B. Of course this action is difficult; but with a saxophone of theabove description one finger of the right handfor instance, the littleone-is sufficient to maintain closed the plates 8, 11, and 13 byoperating the plate 1H,

hand.

My device for enabling the player to perform the low notes B-flat, l3,and G-sharp by means of the medium of the right hand and by operating,respectively, the shafts 15 17*, and consists in providing each of theseshafts with another lever 1.5 17 16, having each a finger-piece whichcan be operated by the medium of the right hand, the lingerpieces and1tbeing located above plate 13 and the finger-piece 1'? above plate 3.The little finger of the left hand remains free for another use.

The levers 15 10 when depressed do not carry down the plate 18 any morethan does the lever 17 depress the plate 12 when operated. There is aspace large enough between the levers and the said plates so that thevers can be depressed Without reaching the plates. (See 5.)

The fingers that will be ordinarily used in playing the nev. keys arekey 5, middle left finger; key 10, little right linger; keys l5" 16 17,middle right linger. By lowering the lever 10 the note played is l).

l clain1- 1. A saxophone comprising a lever 5 capable of being operatedby the left index-finger to uncover an opening 5 and the C-plate 7arranged to be closed by the said lever simultaneously with theuncovering of said opening for the purpose of producing the note high F,substantially as described.

2. A saxophone comprising a lever 5 capable of being operated by theleft index-finger, the F-cover arranged to be lifted by the said leverand the C-plate 7 arranged to be simultaneously closed for the purposeof producing the note high F, substantially as described.

In a saxophone the combination of the plate 8 having the hole 5)therein, the lever 10 having the plate 11 covering said opening and thplate 12 cast with the plate 8, substantially described.

In a saxophone,the combination of means for producing the low notesB-flat, B and C- sharp, by the middle right linger comprisingrespectively the linger-pieces 15, 17 and 16 in addition to thelinger-pieces 15, 17 and 16, operating the same shafts 15, l7, l6", andthe lever 10, controlling the low note D, said additional linger-piecesbeing located above and adjacent to said lever 10, substantially as de-SOi'lbQtl.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing \vitnesses.

PAUL lG VETTE.

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